As I have mentioned before, my husband is a professional hockey player, now playing here in Switzerland. We spend nine exciting months of each year in Europe, then three whirlwind months in Canada. As much as we adore our time overseas, it always requires some...
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Don’t be Stuffy
A few years ago, a building contractor told me a story that scared me enough to change my habits: “I worked with a young couple recently who fully remodeled an old house. They both worked full-time. Every morning, they both got up, took showers, got dressed and left...
Cheese Please!
When the cool fog starts rolling across Lake Zurich, and the neon green foothills begin showing white frosting on top, my thoughts immediately turn to the tastes of Swiss winter foods. Last fall during my first few months in Switzerland, I started hearing people talk...
Cow Parade
I’m on a bit of a tourist kick at the moment. For my last post, I wrote about where to take visitors in Swabia. This week’s topic: the cow parade. I had never heard of this tradition until last year, when colleagues of mine included it in their hiking weekend. I...
Credit card differences
I was planning to write today about the problems sometimes encountered by Americans when they try to use their US credit card in Europe. As fortune would have it, I experienced exactly the reverse yesterday: Trying to use a German card in the US. I was helping a...
Moving with Max
Pets are becoming more and more a part of the family. They live in our homes, sleep in our beds, and the lucky ones even join us on vacations. So when considering relocation to another country many pet owners would never dream of leaving their furry family members...
German Job Applications
CV vs Lebenslauf The first and primary document that most employers will request with your job application is your "Lebenslauf". A German’s Lebenslauf is very different from an American resume or a European CV. If you want to put together a Lebenslauf, it would be...
You Haven’t Found a Job Yet? You Probably Aren’t Networking Enough
Last time I blogged it was about my job search in Germany. As I mentioned several times, I believe that speaking German is the biggest hurdle that one faces when looking for a job. The second hurdle is being at the right place at the right time. What do I mean by...
Finding a Job in Germany
There are many days I think to myself, "Oh my God, why did I leave my good job and move to a country where I can't find a job to save my life?!" How many of you have thought the same? In 2009, I moved to Frankfurt from London for personal reasons (personal...
Transatlantic with the Toddler
There are so many horror stories I could share involving transatlantic travel. I entertained my babysitter the other day by regaling my worst memories of flights between Europe and North America, some of which involve being sandwiched between an overweight, unhappy...
A Hockey Wife in German-Speaking Europe
Most would imagine that being the partner of a professional athlete would be quite glamorous. Some imagine it as a life full of designer handbags, contract bonuses, nannies, and lots and lots of leisure time. But as the fiancée of a professional hockey player here in...
German Residence Permit Day – A true story
Or how not to get your Aufenthaltstitel The big day started at 6:30 a.m. when I suddenly woke up and realized that it was was the day and date of my appointment at the Berlin Ausländerbehörde (Foreigners Authority, now known as the Landesamt für Einwanderung, the...
Levels of Language Proficiency: My Life in Germany
Beyond Ordering a Beer Recently I enjoyed reading Julia Child's My Life in France (with Alex Prud'homme). It's a great book (and the first one I ever read as a Kindle edition on my iPhone). Anyone who has lived abroad or spent only a brief time in the French capital...
Turning Weakness Into Strength
Weakness is often, to mangle a perfectly good cliche, in the eye of a beholder. People move to Germany for lots of reasons. Following a loved one who has had a transfer, caring for family, learning experience, new adventures and so on. It can be a dream come true. ...
Living in Germany FAQ
For quite a while now I've been thinking that putting together a frequently asked questions (FAQ) list about living in Germany and other German speaking lands would be a good idea. Many questions come up time and again on the German Way forums and e-mail list. They...
A Night at the Ball: A Glimpse at German Fraternities
Last weekend, I accompanied my husband to Heidelberg to celebrate the 130th anniversary of his fraternity. A German fraternity is not quite the same as an American fraternity, but some things it does have in common are a heavy emphasis on drinking and membership into...
A Different Kind of Food Fad
OK, maybe it is not really a fad. Not here in Germany that is. But almost 6000 years ago the Kosher food "movement" (everything is a movement now) started. It still exists but has a big brother, Halal. The two dietary systems have much in common which shouldn't be...
German banking (and credit cards) for beginners
Notice! This older blog post has been replaced by a new German Way article. This deprecated blog post will be deleted soon. When I was traveling in France recently, I rediscovered some of the differences among the European countries in the area of banking and credit...
Oh, the Places You’ll Go
If you are an expat in Germany with children, at some point or the other you will probably have to endure that oh-so-anticipated but oh-so-dreaded journey of traveling home to wherever you hail from. If your kids are over the age of 5 or 6, the trip may not be so...
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